


Everything Comes Full Circle

by Dinosaur1212



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Maybe My Best One Yet, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 15:50:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinosaur1212/pseuds/Dinosaur1212
Summary: Josie Saltzman has been in love with Penelope Park for the entirety of high school. Her constant fear is that Penelope will find out and not reciprocate her feelings. What will happen when Josie begins to suspect that her feelings are requited? A little bit of Hizzie interaction is included, but there is not much





	Everything Comes Full Circle

**Author's Note:**

> Well here I am with a Posie one-shot. I am well aware that I need to update my main story, but I had a lack of inspiration that I'm hoping this one-shot will resolve. Anyways, I had been throwing this idea around for a while, and I hope I pulled it off well.

No one ever told you about the bad aspects of falling in love with somebody. All you ever heard was how wonderful love was and how being in love was the best. Nobody told you the danger of unrequited love, the one-sided love. No one ever told you how you could be so hopelessly in love with your best friend, but they would never love you in the same way. How you could never tell them how you feel, so you just attempt to bury the feeling inside; in fear of the other person finding out, and everything changing forever. This was the exact predicament Josie Saltzman found herself in. She was in love with the most wonderful girl she had ever met, Penelope Park. They had first met when Penelope moved to Mystic Falls at the start of freshman year, and they had quickly become best friends. Now, it was approaching the end of their senior year, and graduation was right around the corner.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Graduation was in three weeks, and Josie and Penelope were doing what they always did after school, hanging out in Josie's room, talking about whatever came to mind.

"I still can't believe you turned Connor down for prom," Penelope randomly said, lifting her head off the floor, in order to look at Josie.

Josie shifted uncomfortably, knowing she couldn't tell Penelope the real reason why. She had almost told Penelope the real reason multiple times, but her fear of what would happen stopped her each time. After a moment's pause, she eventually replied with, "He just wasn't right for me Pen."

Rolling her eyes, Penelope responded, "It's not like he asked you to marry him, he just wanted to go to prom with you. He wanted to go to prom with the cutest girl in school, I might add."

This was the one thing Josie hated about Penelope; the fact that Penelope could so easily make Josie flustered with just a single comment. She turned away from Penelope, in an attempt to hide her blush, before replying, "Penelope, I just didn't want to go to prom with him."

"Okay, okay. Who did you want to go with then?" Penelope questioned.

Josie shook her head, knowing that she had gotten herself into this predicament. After a moment, she decided to say, "It doesn't matter who I wanted to go with, they didn't ask me. Can we just drop it?"

Penelope threw her hands up in defeat, before replying, "Of course JoJo, anything for you " and with that, she flashed Josie her signature smile. Before giving Josie a chance to respond, Penelope went on to suggest, "Hey, how about we go get something to eat. I'm quite famished and wouldn't mind an adventure with you."

Realizing her own hunger, Josie nodded and stood up, and waited for Penelope to join her. Once Penelope stood up, the two walked out to Penelope's car, and then Penelope drove them to their favorite place to go.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Once they got to the restaurant, all the tension from their dispute has faded. This was mostly due to Penelope cracking jokes the entire car ride. Josie always found Penelope's jokes funny, but she didn't understand why Penelope never let others see her funny side, only her. You would never catch Josie complaining though, because it gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, Penelope only showed her that side because she liked her.

"Should we get our usual order of cheesesticks, JoJo?" Penelope asked Josie, while hitting Josie's menu with hers. She was a fan of the routine her and Josie had down. Almost every week they would come to this restaurant, and they would usually order the same food. Penelope loved the sense of routine, because it gave her life a semblance of routine that she didn't have at home.

Josie rolled her eyes before replying, "Do you even have to ask at this point?" Much like Penelope, Josie loved coming here with Penelope week after week. It was a time where Josie could just be herself and she didn't have to worry about anyone else, she could be selfish for one time in her life.

Closing her menu, Penelope replied, "Hey, I never know with you. You can be unpredictable sometimes, almost like an air of mystery. It's kinda hot, cool, it's kinda cool how you can be like that. A truly good quality to have." Penelope looked away from Josie and down at the table, unsure of how to proceed after what she had said. 

Luckily for Penelope, her slip had left Josie absolutely speechless and unsure of what to reply back. A part of her thought she had just misheard Penelope, but the way Penelope was acting made Josie certain she had heard her correctly. 

The waiter happened to come to their table right at that moment and he was met with two obviously flustered girls. The good news is he was frequently their waiter, so he asked them if they wanted their usual and when they nodded, he wrote down their order and walked away. Of course he left them with the awkward silence that had arisen between the two girls. When he returned with their drinks the silence was still going in between the two girls, but when he placed their drinks down, they both thanked him. He nodded and walked away, wondering if the girls had finally confessed their feelings for each other. 

The silence was finally broken by Penelope who asked, "So, what's Lizzie up to tonight?" She rarely brought up Lizzie, because the two couldn't stand each other, but she needed something to break the silence.

Josie was taken aback at first, but then responded, "Honestly who knows. Her and Hope are probably hanging out and are up to no good like always." She had no idea how it had happened but over Christmas break, her sister had started dating Hope. This gave Josie more time to dedicate to hanging out with Penelope which she was extremely grateful for 

"I honestly still can't believe that they're dating. I never would have guessed those two would have wound up together," Penelope commented, unsure of what else to talk about. She couldn't understand why she was unable to get her cool, calm, and collected manner back, so she knew she had to settle for whatever it was that was going on right now. She always kept her overly flirty comments to herself around Josie, because she knew that Josie probably wouldn't feel the same as she did. This was the first time she had messed up and said something of this scale, and she wasn't sure how to recover from it. 

Josie chose not to reply because she was busy in her head thinking over everything that had happened. By the time the waiter gave them their cheese sticks, she had convinced herself that what Penelope had said was an accident. It was the only logical explanation she could come up with. That or it was just another harmless comment like the one from earlier.

The rest of the time at the restaurant went by with little conversation, both girls were too lost in thought to say much of anything. The car ride back to Josie's house went much the same as the restaurant. Very little conversation was to be had while Penelope drove Josie home. That is until they arrived at the Saltzman house and Josie was about ready to close her door after getting out.

Penelope really wasn't thinking things through which is why she found herself saying, "Hey Jo." 

Josie couldn't stop the small chuckle that left her body as she replied, "You're dropping me off Penelope, I believe the proper word is 'bye,' not 'hey.'" While she said that she focused her eyes back on Penelope and saw the intense look on Penelope's face which prompted her to ask, "What's wrong Pen?"

A moment of silence passed by while Penelope weighed her options of what to reply. She eventually said, "Nothing's wrong. I just want you to know that I, uh, really appreciate you and everything you've done for me." Inwardly, Penelope cursed herself for not saying what she really wanted to, but maybe it was better that she hadn't. 

Josie smiled before replying, "Well I appreciate you too, Penelope Park. You truly are a one of a kind person," she paused before concluding with, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, of course you will. I don't plan on skipping, not after how you lectured me last time for it," Penelope replied with a smirk. She watched as Josie laughed, and she was filled with a warm feeling that she only ever felt around Josie. She was upset when Josie closed her door and walked into her house, Penelope making sure Josie made it in safely. Once she was sure Josie made it inside safely, she drove away, thinking about the events of that evening the whole way home.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

The next day at school was hectic. Fridays were always chaotic at Mystic Falls High School, especially the closer it got to the end of the year. Students just had less effort, and they just wanted to be anywhere but school. Josie Saltzman was the one exception, she loved learning, and school was also an excuse to see Penelope. They practically had the same schedule. The only period they didn't have together was eighth, because Josie had opted for advanced physics, whereas Penelope had opted for AP English. 

It was seventh period by the time Penelope managed to get Josie alone to talk to her. It was their lunch period, so Penelope knew she wouldn't be taking away from Josie's education. They were walking to the bathroom when she finally said, "Listen Josie, about what I said last night-"

Josie cut off Penelope by saying, "What you said last night was just another harmless comment, Penelope. I know that, you don't have to explain it to me." Josie looked away before she could see the pain register on Penelope's face.

"Yeah ...it was just a harmless comment, that's all it was," Penelope said, slowly talking lower and lower while she said it so that by the time she was done, her voice was barely a whisper. 

Josie frowned at how Penelope replied, so she asked, "It was just another harmless comment, right?" She stopped walking when Penelope did, and she turned to look at the shorter girl.

"Josie, I don't understand how you can be so oblivious sometimes, but maybe that should've been all the more I needed as an answer. I never thought that my worst fear would come true, but I guess it is," Penelope was on the verge of crying, so she took off before she could, away from a stunned Josie who had no idea what to say. 

Hope happened to be coming to the bathroom, and she walked past a visibly upset Penelope before she saw Josie standing there. Knowing that she should make sure Josie was okay, she asked, "What happened?" At first she didn't think Josie heard her question, but then she started to reply.

"I'm not really sure Hope," Josie paused, replaying the events in her mind before continuing, "I asked Penelope of this one flirty thing she said last night was harmless or not, and she kind of lost it and ran off. I'm . . . I'm not sure what to do." Josie looked at Hope and then at the ground, still completely baffled by Penelope's outburst.

Hope thought over her next words carefully before saying, "I know Penelope would kill me for telling you this, but I was right when I told her you would never figure it out. That you would be so worried about reading into things th-"

"Okay Hope, get to the point please," Josie interjected, unappreciative of how Hope was taking forever to say what her point was.

"Alright, alright. What I was trying to say before you rudely interrupted me was that, Penelope likes you Josie, like a lot. But she was always too worried that you wouldn't feel the same way, so she never did anything about it," Hope smiled before adding, "It was honestly all she could ever talk about whenever we hung out. It's quite disgusting really." She waited while Josie let her words sink in, and she rolled her eyes when the look of realization came over Josie's face.

Josie still wasn't really sure she heard Hope right when she replied, "She likes me?"

A loud sigh escaped Hope as she answered, "Yes, that's what I said. Now I reckon that you need to find Penelope and talk to her, so I'll leave you to it." With that Hope walked away to the bathroom, leaving Josie there to figure out where Penelope had gone.

Josie knew the usual places Penelope would go if she was upset, it was just a matter of figuring out which one she went to. First she checked the library, but after checking every area of it, she realized Penelope wasn't in there. Her next guess was the one Penelope rarely went to, which was the auditorium. As she was walking towards the auditorium, the bell went off signaling it was time for eighth period. Josie cursed under her breath, annoyed that she wouldn't see Penelope until ninth period, so she pulled out her phone and sent Penelope a text while she hurried to her physics class.

**Josie: ** _ Penelope listen, I know you're mad at me but we need to talk. Please don't ignore me, I promise you I'm not oblivious _

And with that Josie out her phone back into her pocket and finished walking to class. Once she got to class and sat down, she pulled out her phone to see if Penelope had replied. When she saw that the girl hadn't, she sighed, and left her phone in her desk, out of the teachers sight. For the entire period Josie could not pay attention to save her life, she was too focused on waiting to see if Penelope answered her, which she didn't. So when the bell rang, Josie hurried to her last class of the day so she could see Penelope.

Once she got to class, she noticed right away that Penelope was nowhere to be seen, and this was peculiar because Penelope always got to this class first. Josie realized that this meant Penelope was skipping class, so she pulled out her phone and sent another text.

**Josie: ** _ I can gather by your absence and lack of response that you're definitely avoiding me. All I'm asking is for one conversation; I just hope you can give it to me. _

After sending the text, Josie out her phone away, and knowing she wouldn't get a response from Penelope, she focused on paying attention to what happened in class. She really didn't find the class interesting, because _ 1984 _ was not her favorite book, so she found the discussion rather boring. Don't get her wrong though, Josie found the themes of the book to be important, she just hated that she had to read the book for a grade. So ninth period dragged by as Josie listened to the teacher talk about and his attempts at not conforming to Big Brother. 

When the bell finally rang, Josie hurried out of the classroom and to her locker. She had to make sure she caught Lizzie, because she was going to need a ride home since Penelope left. Luckily she managed to get there right when Lizzie did. "Hey Lizzie, I'm going to need a ride home today," Josie said once she opened her locker.

"Why? Is the wonderful Penelope Park too busy to give you a ride home?" Lizzie questioned, her voice full of sarcasm.

Josie took a moment to let her anger subside before replying, "She went home early. I was planning on walking to her house later to make sure she's okay."

She finished getting everything she needed from her locker, closed it, and then waited for Lizzie to be done at hers. Hope eventually meandered over, seeing as Lizzie was her source of transportation since they started dating. 

"I still don't know what you and Hope see in her that you want to be friends with her," Lizzie said, not knowing that Hope was right behind her. 

Hope looked at Josie and rolled her eyes, before she announced her presence, "Lizzie, you barely know her, because you've never tried to." 

Lizzie's face went pale as she realized that hope had heard her comment, but she regained her composure and said, "I just don't see the need to when I already know she isn't a good person. Now let's go before we get stuck behind the buses. With that, Lizzie closed her locker and started walking away.

Hope and Josie followed behind Lizzie, mostly because Hope wanted to ask Josie about Penelope. Otherwise she would've been up walking beside Lizzie. "So I take it you haven't seen Penelope?" Hope asked Josie.

"I haven't seen or heard from her since the last thing she said to me. I'm hoping she'll be home do I can talk to her," Josie replied, looking down at the ground, wishing she could change the days events. 

Hope thought about what Josie had said before replying, "You know she's probably not at home, she hates being there alone when her parents are out of town." Hope hated to seem like she knew more about Penelope than Josie, but she knew Josie was scrambling to make things right with Penelope.

Josie nodded at Hope's words and replied, "I know she hates being home alone, but I also know that when she is all emotional like this, she likes to be home alone," she paused before adding, "It gives her a chance to break into her parents' alcohol and get drunk.

Before Hope could reply, they were stepping outside, and Lizzie was saying something to both of them.

"Okay so, Josie, do you just want me to drop you off at Satan's house? It would probably just be easier if we did that, that way Hope and I can do what we wanted to do," Lizzie said, hoping Josie would agree, because she had had a cute date to surprise Hope with.

Josie watched as Hope looked confused at what Lizzie has said, before she replied, "Of course, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your relationship." 

"What is it that we're doing?" Hope questioned Lizzie. She wasn't one that was big in surprises, and Lizzie knew that she wasn't.

Lizzie smirked as she replied, "That is just going to have to be a secret until we get to where it is we're going." She picked up her pace as she got closer to her car, and so did Josie and Hope.

Once they got to the car, Josie sat in the backseat, as to allow Hope to be beside Lizzie. In all honesty, she didn't say anything the entire length of the car ride to Penelope's house. Instead she settled for the bickering of the couple in the front seat to be the conversation of the car ride. 

Lizzie pulled into Penelope's driveway and once she put the car in park, she turned around to look at Josie and said, "Here you are at your destination. Make sure she doesn't try to get you to join her evil forces."

Hope just rolled her eyes, looked at Josie, and said, "If anything serious happens, just send one of us a text. I'm sure we would be happy to come and help."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, but if it isn't, I will," Josie assured Hope, as she got out of the door and closed it whole she heard Lizzie questioning Hope about why something would go wrong. Josie walked up to the door praying it was unlocked, and thanked God it was when she turned the knob. She hoped Penelope had not decided to get drunk as she walked in and closed the door behind her. Josie decided to call out, "Penelope? Are you here? I would hope you are considering your car is outside and the door was unlocked." She waited for a response but there was none, except for the sound of something falling upstairs. Fearing that Penelope may have injured herself, Josie hurried to the course of the noise, just to find Penelope attempting to hide in her overly filled closet.

Josie couldn't stop laughing while she asked, "What are you doing Penelope?" 

"Well, I thought the radio silence would've told you to stay from me, so when I heard you coming into my house, I thought I could hide from you. I guess instead, I'm just coming out of the closet." A slight smile formed on Penelope's face at her joke, before it was replaced with her neutral expression. 

Josie took a deep breath in order to prevent herself from saying something she would regret, before saying, "I just need a few minutes to explain, and if after that you still want me to stay away, then I will." Josie gave her best pouty face in order to hopefully get Penelope to agree.

"I can do without the explanation, because the answer will be the same no matter what," Penelope said, as if she was talking to a stranger and not her best friend.

In all honesty, Josie knew she should've prepared for hostility; it was how Penelope got when she was putting walls up, but it still hurt just the same. Josie ran her fingers through her hair as she replied, "I'm not going anywhere until I get to share how I feel about you."

Penelope rolled her eyes and said, "You made your feelings for me crystal clear this afternoon at lunch." She looked away from Josie, because years were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes from how mean she was being to Josie. It hurt her that she was distancing herself, but she knew she couldn't be Josie's friend as long as she was in love with her. "Please just go JoJo. I can't do this; I can't do our friendship when all I want is something more," Penelope pleaded with Josie.

Josie started to say, "If you would just give me a minute, I-"

Penelope cut Josie off with, "Go Josie." Her voice sounded tired as she was growing increasingly agitated with Josie.

Deciding to well, shoot her shot, Josie decided to just say how she felt, "I love you Penelope. That's what I wanted to tell you. That I have been in love with you since freshman year. You're the person I wish had asked me to prom," she paused for a second before continuing, "I just always thought that you didn't feel the same. That my feelings were entirely one sided. I thought if I ever mentioned them, we would drift apart because it would be weird. But now I know they're not, and that's what I had to tell you. " She waited for Penelope to say something back to her confession, but was instead met with stunned silence. 

Penelope wasn't sure what to do. Never did she think Josie would say those words aloud, so needless to say Penelope was completely stunned. She stood there for a solid minute just letting every Josie had said sink in before she replied, "You do?" She wasn't sure what to say, because after she ditched school and came home, she had made it her mission to try to bury her feelings for Josie. But then Josie came over and instead of leaving, she did what she came there to do; something Josie would back out of if given a reason to.

"Yes Penelope, I do. I mean me blurting my feelings out when you asked me to leave probably wasn't my plan on telling you, but oh well," Josie paused, debating whether or not to add to her statement, but Penelope seemed like she hadn't had any alcohol. This sort of shocked Josie, but she realized that maybe Penelope had decided that she needed to be thinking rationally when she had come home.

Penelope stared at Josie, a good idea of what was on the other girl's mind, so she said, "I didn't have any JoJo. And I'm thankful for that with the way events have played out, because I know you would've tackled this differently had I been intoxicated." Penelope glanced at the floor after saying this, unsure of how to proceed, us she was kind of enjoying how Josie was taking control of everything happening.

Josie bit her bottom lip out of habit while she was carefully thinking about what she said next which was, "I know a lot just happened. . .but there's something I've desperately wanted to do since freshman year," Josie paused when Penelope looked at her with a knowing look on her face, before continuing, "I was wondering if maybe, just maybe, you would uh, want-to-be-my-girlfriend?" Josie said the last part so fast that she wasn't sure if it was comprehensible. She waited for Penelope to say something, but instead was met with something else.

Penelope knew she could just simply say yes to Josie's question and not make he panic, but instead she found herself staying silent as she got closer to Josie. She was desperately hoping she wouldn't mess this moment up as she put her one hand and Josie's cheek and leaned up and kissed her. She was instantly met with Josie kissing her back, before Josie pulled away.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Josie said, a huge smile spreading across her face.

Penelope rolled her eyes and replies, "I guess it is, but usually people ask that question after a few dates."

Josie grabbed Penelope's hand as she said, "Well, it's still early, but let's go on a dinner date. My treat. You'll have to drive there though."

"Sounds good to me. I wouldn't have it any other way JoJo," Penelope said, while she leaned in to kiss Josie one more time, before Josie could start leading them outside, and ultimately to their favorite restaurant, where they would have their favorite waiter, who would be so glad to know that the two girls were finally dating.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Falling in love with Josie Saltzman was never part of Penelope Park's plan when she moved to Mystic Falls, but she did. For years she had thought her feelings for Josie were completely one-sided, and she would have laughed in your face had you said otherwise. Penelope was never one to believe in true love during her childhood---mostly because of her parents, whom spent all their time out of town on business---but after meeting Josie, her view on the love changed. This was especially true after one fateful day when Josie decided to express her feelings for Penelope, which proved to Penelope that her feelings were actually requited. Penelope Park was hopelessly in love with Josie Saltzman, and three weeks before they were due to graduate, she was finally able to call Josie her girlfriend. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that's where it ends! I hope this work's title makes sense after reading the final chapter. I thought ending how I started, but by changing the character would be a great way to close it out. Come judge me on Twitter @ConstantMess12


End file.
